LiCl-KCl-CeCl3体系的物性测量及分子动力学模拟

    Physical Property Measurements and Molecular Dynamics Simulations of LiCl-KCl-CeCl3 System

    • 摘要: 在电解精炼过程中,Ce3+在LiCl-KCl 熔盐中不断累积,导致熔盐的物化性质发生变化,进而影响电解精炼工艺。然而,目前关于LiCl-KCl-CeCl3熔盐体系物理化学参数的研究仍然较为有限。在673~873 K温度范围内,研究了低浓度CeCl3(摩尔分数(x(CeCl3))为0~5.0%)对LiCl-KCl 熔盐性质的影响。分别采用旋转法、连续变化电导池常数法(CVCC)和步冷曲线法测量了体系的黏度、电导率和初晶温度。结果表明:随着温度升高,熔盐黏度降低,但CeCl3的加入使黏度明显增大,且增幅较显著;随着温度升高,电导率增大,CeCl3的引入导致电导率小幅降低,各温度下减小幅度均在0.2 S/cm 以内;随着CeCl3含量的增加,体系初晶温度呈先降低后升高的趋势,在x(CeCl3)=2.0%附近达到最低点。此外,以第一性原理分子动力学(FPMD)计算结果作为数据集,采用机器学习训练势函数的深度势能分子动力学(DPMD)方法得到了熔盐体系的径向分布函数、扩散活化能等参数,并对黏度和初晶温度进行了模拟。模拟结果表明,FPMD-深度势能分子动力学(DPMD)方法能够较好地预测体系黏度,与实验数据吻合良好,为LiCl-KCl-CeCl3 熔盐体系的物化性质研究提供了理论支持。

       

      Abstract: During the pyrochemical electrorefining process of spent nuclear fuel, fission product Ce3+ continuously accumulate in the LiCl-KCl eutectic molten salt, altering its original physicochemical properties and potentially affecting the overall electrorefining efficiency and system stability. However, systematic research on the physicochemical parameters of the LiCl-KCl-CeCl3 molten salt system remains limited. In this study, the effects of low-concentration CeCl3 addition(x(CeCl3)=5.0%, the same below) on the key engineering properties of LiCl-KCl molten salt were comprehensively investigated within a temperature range of 673-873 K. This work aims to establish an accurate and reliable evaluation framework combining experiments and simulations to provide crucial data and theoretical support for dry reprocessing technologies. Experimentally, three fundamental macroscopic engineering properties were systematically measured under a high-purity argon atmosphere to establish a robust dataset. Specifically, the molten salt viscosity was determined using the rotational method with a high-precision coaxial cylinder viscometer, which effectively captured the fluid resistance. The conductivity( \sigma ) was obtained via the continuous variation conductivity cell constant(CVCC) method employing an advanced LCR bridge to eliminate polarization effects. Furthermore, the initial crystallization temperature, reflecting the solid-liquid phase equilibrium, was accurately recorded through the cooling curve method. To provide deep theoretical insights at the microscopic level, advanced computational simulations were implemented in parallel with the experimental procedures. First-principles molecular dynamics(FPMD) simulations based on density functional theory were performed using the Vienna Ab-initio Simulation Package(VASP) to reveal the quantum-mechanical features. Moreover, a machine learning deep potential molecular dynamics(DPMD) model was trained using the DeePMD-kit package based on the FPMD data, enabling large-scale and long-term simulations to describe the local structures, coordination numbers, and precise self-diffusion coefficients of the multi-component system. The experimental and simulated results provid detailed insights into the macroeconomic variations and microscopic structures. The viscosity of the system decreases nonlinearly as the temperature increases due to accelerated ionic motion, whereas the incorporation of CeCl3 significantly raises the viscosity; at 673 K, the viscosity of the mixture containing 4.0%CeCl3 reaches 8.06 mPa•s, approximately twice that of the pure eutectic salt. The electrical conductivity exhibits an upward trend with rising temperature, but decreases slightly with the addition of CeCl3, with the maximum reduction restricted within 0.2 S/cm due to the larger radius and greater migration resistance of Ce3+. Interestingly, both experimental and simulated data manifest a subtle anomalous increase in conductivity at a tiny dosage of 0.5%CeCl3. Furthermore, as the CeCl3 content increases, the initial crystallization temperature decreases initially and then rises, reaching a minimum turning point near 2.0%LiCl-KCl-CeCl3(620 K). Structural analysis derived from DPMD confirms that Ce3+ possesses a remarkably strong coordinating capability, with the fractions of 6- and 7-coordinated polyhedral configurations increasing continuously, leading to a locally ordered structure. In conclusion, this study successfully demonstrates that the accumulation of Ce3+ leads to increase flow resistance and slightly impeded current efficiency due to its powerful local structural coordination and high diffusion activation energy. The simulated viscosity via the Stokes-Einstein equation shows an excellent agreement with experimental values, with an average prediction error below 10%, validating the reliability of the DPMD potential model. The integrated experimental-computational framework and the validated database established in this work provide essential theoretical guidance and critical engineering parameter optimization for the design and stable operation of high-temperature pyrochemical reprocessing facilities.

       

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